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Jane West
Jane West (30 April 1758 - 25 March 1852) was an English poet, novelist, and playwright. Life West was born Jane Iliffe, in the building which afterwards became St. Paul's Coffee-house, London. When she was 11 years old her family moved to Desborough in Northamptonshire. She was entirely self-educated, and began to write verse at 13. At 13 she versified 7 chapters of the Book of Acts, and at 16 wrote an epic poem on "the glories of Caractacus.""Jane West (nee Iliffe}," Eighteenth-Century Women Poets: An Oxford anthology (edited by Roger Lonsdale), Oxford, UK, & New York: Oxford University Press, 1989, 379. In a letter to Bishop Percy, dated 1800, she said: "The catalogue of my compositions previous to my attaining twenty would be formidable. Thousands of lines flowed in very easy measure. I scorned correction, and never blotted" (Nichols, Literary Illustrations, viii. 329–31).Lee, 331. She married Thomas West, a yeoman farmer of Northamptonshire. He was related to Vice-admiral Temple West and to Gilbert West. His maternal ancestors had been rectors of Little Bowden in an unbroken chain for 150 years (cf. Gent. Mag. 1823, i. 183). Mrs. West attended to the household and dairy, but was by no means in the lowly position sometimes attributed to her (cf. Nichols, Literary Illustrations, vii. 88–9). She had 3 sons. Before 1800 she had published a half-dozen volumes of poems, 2 tragedies, a comedy, and 2 novels, The Advantages of Education; or, The history of Maria Williams (1793; 2nd edit. 1803), and A Tale of the Times (1799). In 1800 she wrote to Percy, asking him to recommend her works to readers, in order to enable her to make better provision for her children (ib. viii. 326–7). He responded with a warm commendatory review in the British Critic (1801). Percy told how her novels were greatly in demand at the 3 circulating libraries of Brighton (cf. Gent. Mag. 1852, ii. 100). She was for many years a contributor to the Gentleman's Magazine. In 1801 she published in 3 volumes some edifying Letters to a Young Man. They were really addressed to her son, and were dedicated to her friend, the bishop of Dromore. A 2nd edition appeared the next year, and by 1818 the book was in a 6th. It was also in 1801 that she began a correspondence with Mrs. Sarah Trimmer(cf. Life and Writings of Mrs. Trimmer, 1825, p. 429).Lee, 332. In 1806 appeared in 2 volumes a similar series of Letters to a Young Lady. It was dedicated to the queen, who in 1799 had, on the advice of a bishop, purchased Mrs. West's soundly moral novels and plays (cf. Gent. Mag. 1799, ii. 1128). The young lady to whom the letters were addressed was Miss Maunsell, who died in her 25th year, 14 Aug. 1808. A second edition, in 3 volumes, was published the same year, and a 4th edition in 1811. In 1810 Mrs. West paid a visit to Dromore. Her husband died on 23 Jan. 1823. Her last publication, Ringrove; or, Old-fashioned notions, a novel in 2 volumes, appeared in 1827. In the introduction she states that she is writing again, after a silence of 10 years. Her death took place on at Little Bowden. Writing Mrs. West's novels are better than her poems, and her poems are better than her plays. Anna Seward, however, praises her poems, but finds her tragedy Edmund cold and declamatory (cf. Letters, iii. 113, 132). Mrs. West's poems were largely inspired by Gray, and her prose writings testified to a hatred of the new ideas of Mary Wollstonecraft and her school. Other works by Mrs. West (many issued anonymously) are: 1. ‘Miscellaneous Poems, Translations, and Imitations,’ 1780. 2. ‘Miscellaneous Poetry,’ 1786. 3. ‘The Humours of Brighthelmstone: a Poem,’ 1788. 4. ‘Miscellaneous Poems and a Tragedy ‘Edmund’,’ 1791; other editions 1797 and 1804. 5. ‘The Gossip's Story,’ 1797, 2 vols. 6. ‘Elegy on Edmund Burke,’ 1797. 7. ‘Poems and Plays a second and a third tragedy, called respectively ‘Adela’ and ‘The Minstrel,’ and a comedy, ‘How will it end’,’ 1799–1805, 4 vols. 8. ‘The Infidel Father: a Novel,’ 1802, 3 vols. 9. ‘The Mother: a Poem in five books,’ 1809; 2nd edit. 1810. 10. ‘The Refusal: a Novel,’ 1810, 3 vols. 11. ‘The Loyalists: an historical Novel,’ 1812, 3 vols. 12. ‘Select Translation of the Beauties of Massillon,’ 1812. 13. ‘Alicia de Lacy, an historical romance,’ 1814, 4 vols. 14. ‘Scriptural Essays adapted to the Holy Days of the Church of England,’ 1816, 2 vols.; another edition, 1817. Publications Poetry *''Miscellaneous Poems; written at an early period of life''. London: W.T. Swift, 1786. *''Miscellaneous Poems, and a tragedy''. York, UK: W. Blanchard, for R. Faulder, London / T. Burnham, Northampton / et al, 1791. *''An Elegy on the Death of Edmund Burke''. London: T.N. Longman, 1797. *''The Mother: A poem, in five books''. London, Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, 1809. Play *''Edmund, Surnamed Ironside: A tragedy'', in Miscellaneous Poems, 1791. Novels *''The Humours of Brighthelmstone''. London: Scatcherd & Whitaker / T. Hookham / J. Strahan / et al, 1788. *''The Advantages of Education; or, The history of Miss Maria Williams''. (2 volumes), London: William Lane, at Minerva Press, 1793. *''A Gossip's Story; and, A legendary tale''. (2 volumes), London: T.N. Longman, 1796. *''A Tale of the Times''. (3 volumes), London: T.N. Longman & O. Rees, 1799; (2 volumes), Dublin: William Porter, 1799. *''The Infidel Father''. (3 volumes), London: A. Strahan, for T.N. Longman & O. Rees, 1802. *''The Refusal''. (3 volumes), London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, 1810. *''The Loyalists: An historical novel''. (3 volumes), London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1812. *''Alicia de Lacy: An historical romance''. (4 volumes), London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1814. *''Ringrove; or, Old fashioned notions''. (2 volumes), London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, & Green, 1827. Non-fiction *''Letters Addressed to a Young Man: On his first entrance into life''. (3 volumes), London: A. Strahan, for T.N. Longman & O. Rees, 1801. *''Letters to a Young Lady: In which the duties and character of women are considered''. (3 volumes), London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, 1806. Scriptural essays. 2 vols, 1811. *''Scriptural Essays; adapted to the holidays of the Church of England with meditations''. (2 volumes), London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1817. Collected editions *''Poems and Plays''. (4 volumes), London: C. Whittingham, for T.N. Longman & O. Rees, 1799.1799-1805. Translated A select translation of The beauties of Massilon. 1812. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Jane West, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Jan. 7, 2016. See also *List of British poets References * . Wikisource, Web, Jan. 7, 2016. Notes External links ;Poems *"An Elegy occasioned by a great Mortality in the Village where the Author resided" *"Spring: An ode" *Jane West at Poetry Nook (61 poems) ;About *Foremother Poet: Jane West (1758-1852) *Jane West (1758-1852) at English Poetry, 1579-1830 * West, Jane Category:1758 births Category:1852 deaths Category:18th-century poets Category:18th-century women writers Category:19th-century poets Category:19th-century women writers Category:English novelists Category:English-language poets Category:English poets Category:English women writers Category:Poets Category:Women poets